Automatic anchoring device for submarine mines.



. G. E. ELIA.

AUTOMATIC ANGHORING DEVICE POR SUBMABINE MINES.

APPLICATION FILED l`E B.27,.1913. v

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

llllllllilol STATES PATENT FFlQlil,

GIGVANNI EMANUELE ELIAOF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO VICKERS LIMITED, OE WESTIvIINSTE-R, ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC ANCHGRING DEVICE EUR SUBMARINE MINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1913.

T0 all whom r' may concern Be it known that I, GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, a citizen of italy, and residing at Hotel de Crillon, Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, have invented certain, new and useful 1n) )rovements in and Relating` to Automatic J{itnchoring Devices for Submarine Mines, of which the following is a complete specification.

T his invention has for its object improvements in automatic anchoring devices for submarine mines vwhich render it possible to insure the normal and secure succession of the several operations of mine laying and also the smooth and easy muvinding l`of the mooring cable.

In submarine mines provided with a lead, in which the connecting cable is attached to the anchor proper, as'the'mine and its anchor are intended to be launched. in the Water in a single operation, it frequently happens that owing to the difference of the weights of the constituent parts, especially when the launching is effected at a-considerable height above the surface of the water, the normal order of these parts is inverted and the anchor or even the mine proper may "come into contact with thewater before the lead, thereby impairing the precision of the launching owing to the fact that the cable of the lead becomes wound around the anchor thereby reducing its length, so that the mine may even bewrecked. This defect is still further increased by the fact that during the unwinding of the mooring' cable, this cable being ineticiently guided may bind and wreck the mine or at .all events cause it to be moored at an incorrect depth. In accordance with the present invention, which obviates these defects, mechanism is provided which releases the lead before the assemblage is placed in the water, and the lead is provided with an automatic device for regulating the depth of mooring, and at the same time insuring the free unwinding of the mooring cable.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which Figurey 1 is a section of the anchor before it is. placed in the water. Fig. 2 is a partial view showing the parts occupying a different position. Fig. 3 is a detail view of: the lead in sect-ion.

Before the mine is placed in the water,

Patented sept. a, rois.

Serial No. 751,02'5.

thelead a is supported by a ring b in a hook c pivoted to the body of the anchor and held in its closed position shown .in Fig. l by a ring d arranged at the end of a rocking lever e pivoted at to the wallof the anchor and pivot-ed to a rod g which is itself connected yby its lower extremitywith an arm L integral with a tappet z' provided' at and projecting below the anchor inside ruiming rails le. At the outer end of vthis rail Aa \stop fm, is provided upon the-path ofthe tappet j.

The lead.(Fig. 3) comprises a winch n carrying a certain length of cable y and mounted upon'a shaft 0 which presents a threaded portion 79 to which a nut g is fitted. This nut which externally presents an appropriate polygonal form,` is housed in a passage of thesame form r in such a manner as to prevent it from participating in the rotation of the winch and the passage is obturated by a part s forming a bearing for the shaft of the winch and held in position by a screw t.

The anchor proper comprises, in its upper face u a notch -v' forming a slideway in which a slide block x is housed in such a manner as to be capable of displacement; this block Vis perforated for the passage of the mooring cable of the mine.

The operation is as follows :#On mounting the lead, in the first place the cable 1/ is wound upon the winch a, whereupon the nut Q is arranged in the proper position by hand so thatthe cable cannot unwind at the moment of launching the mine, beyond the amountcorresponding'tothe depth of mooring of the mine this adjustment being effected by mea-ns of a graduated scale for eX- ample, whereupon this lead is hooked to the hook c bymeans of its ring b. At. the -moment of launching the mine, the tapp'let y' strikes the ixed stop m arranged at the end of the rail and is pressed back; by the intermediary of the rod g this tappetcauses the ring ci to assume the position illustrated in Fig. 2, which causes the jointed hook c to open thereby allowing the-lead to fall before the anchor itself has reached its mooring point. rl`he cable 1/ of thelead unwinds in rotating the winch a and its shaft 0 7; until thenut g becomes blocked against. the winch thus preventing any rotation of the latter, and consequently limiting the unwinding of ythe cable to the predetermined length. 'While the anchor is de- CIK scending in the Water, its Winch z rotates in the usual manner to alloiv the proper lengthl of mooring cable to unwind, and the uniform univinding of the cable is insured by the arrangement of the slide block which constantly follows the cable to its point of departure from the Winch in traveling along the slideivay i). The novel device thereby provides for the exactI and precise mooring of the mines at the desired place and depth Without risle of Wrecking the mine, because on the one hand the lead alnays precedes the anchor in its descent and because the depth of mooring is regulated at the start by the freedom to unwind which is afforded to the cable of the lead by means of the nut g and furthermore, the mooring cable for the mine is constantly guided in its univinding and can neither bind nor become damaged. The connection b otiveen the lead and the anchor might obviously present any desired forni or arrangei nient other than that described, provided that this leadis thereby necessarily thrown into the Water before the anchor. F or eX- ample, the otlice of lead might be fulfilled by the front group of the Wheels supporting the anchor and its mine upon the running rails,

the anchor being merely supported upon the corresponding axle. In order to facilitate v adjustment, the lead itself might present a nut Q in tivo parts, one circular for example and screwed upon the shaft p of the Winch and rotating freely in the passage 1', and the other fitted in the passage r and adapted to be rendered integral with the irst iii any ap-l propriate manner, 'these parte being readily accessible as soon as the outer bearing s has been removed. Finally, the slide block might comprise any convenient device such as a pulley 'or other member for facilitating the passage of the mooring cable.

The invention is applicjble to submarine mines of all kinds.

TVhat I claim is:

l. In an anchoring device for submarine mines, an anchor, a lead line carrier, means for supporting the carrier from the anchor, and means for automatically releasing the carrier immediately preceding the launching of the Wichor.

2. In an anchoring device for submarine mines, an anchor, a lead line carrier, a movable member on the anchor for supporting the carrier, means for locking the movable member in position, and means for automatically operating the locking means to .release the said'movable member immediately preceding the launching of the anchor.

3. In an 'anchoring device for submarine mines, an anchona lead line carrier, a pivoted member on the anchor and with which the carrier engages, a pivoted lever on the anchor and engaging the pivoted member to hold it in position to support thec'arrier, a pivoted tappct on the anchor and connected with the lever, anda stop in the path of the anchor for operating said tappet.

4L. In an anchoring device for submarine `iiiines, an anchor, a rail upon which the anchor travels, a lead line carrier formed With a ring, a pivoted hook on the anchor and'ivith which the ring of the carrier en- "ages, a pivoted lever on the anchor and having at its outer end a ring engaging the hook, a pivoted tappet having an angular arm, a rod connecting' the arm of the tappct with the inner end of the said lever, and a stop at the outer'end of the rail and in the path of the tappet.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto placed my hand at Rome, Italy, this eleventh day of February, 1913.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA.

In the presence of tWo Witnesses- GIOVANNI VoLaTnLLi, ToiinLLA FONTANI.

Genies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing ther Commissioner of Eatents,

' Washington, D. G. 

